Patient&#39;s file chart clip



1968 D. ARBLASTER PATIENT'S FILE CHART CLIP I NVEN TOR.

Filed March 17, 1966 7& My

United States Patent 3,397,434 PATIENTS FILE CHART CLIP Dennis Arblaster, 34081 La Serena, Dana Point, Calif. 92629 Filed Mar. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 535,151 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-255) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A clip designed to be clamped to the cover of a file chart and containing a plurality of slots each showing a key word or indicia indicating a step or procedure coverable by a self-contained slidable insert or slider capable of being moved manually back and forth from one position to another to record the completion of the indicated step or procedure, said clip being useful for the purpose of allowing the user to determine at a glance the status of the project with which the file is concerned, and particularly useful to hospital personnel desiring to rapidly determine whether all essential presurgical procedures have been performed upon a patient.

The invention relates to file chart clips and more particularly to an improved ready-reference hospital patients file chart clip useful to doctors, nurses and hospital personnel having responsibility for recording or determining the completion of certain procedures which must be performed prior to a patients undergoing surgery.

The chart clip constructed in accordance with the present invention is adapted to be clamped to the filecover and contains a plurality of slots each with a key word or indicia relating to a particular procedure and clearly visible when viewing the full of the cover. Each word is initially covered by a slidable insert or slider which is displaced from above the word which then indicates that the procedure indicated by the word has been performed. The displacing operation of the individual slide element preferably takes place at the time the chart relating to that particular procedure has been filled out. When all of the words in all of the slots have been uncovered by the manual displacement of all the individual slide elements it is then apparent at a glance that the patient is ready for surgery.

The clip of the present invention can save hospital personnel the time-consuming inconvenience of having to rifile through the sheaf of papers in the file, which are frequently of varying sizes and shapes, to determine whether essential presurgical procedures have been performed upon the patient.

Another purpose is to provide the hospital with an instantly visible indication of the total progress at any point of those procedures which have been prepared and which remain to be performed. Proper use of the chart clip conserves valuable time and insures that the patient is completely processed prior to surgery.

Hospitals use printed check list forms which must be individually reviewed prior to surgery. This has proved undesirable because each list is just another piece of paper among many others and can become lost or buried in the patients file. However, by use of the present chart clip which slips easily over the lower end on the rigid top cover of the patients file, an effective, convenient, and readily read check is provided thus saving time and insuring complete presurgical performance through indicating at a glance the progress made in preparing the patient for surgery.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide an improved patients file chart procedures-completed indicator in the form of a clip adapted to be easily operated and understood and for the purpose of providing a quick and 3,397,434 Patented Aug. 20, 1968 "ice eificient method of indicating completion of the various steps or procedures involved in the patients presurgical preparation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a resilient clip capable of being slipped over and resiliently affixed to the lower edge of the rigid top cover of the patients hospital file and which is also capable of functioning as a clamp to secure together both the top and bottom covers of the file to prevent accidental opening, or, if desired, to secure to the underside of the top cover those forms relating to procedures which have been performed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clip containing a plurality of rectangular slots each having identifying words or abbreviations printed or stamped therein which correspond to prescribed necessary procedures that must be performed in the process of readying a patient for surgery, each slot being provided with an insert capable of being moved lengthwise of the slot to uncover the word or abbreviation therein to indicate that the procedure referred to has been performed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a chart clip containing parallel rectangular recesses or slots each containing a marking indicating a hospital procedure, and a slidable covering element movable lengthwise from one end of the slot to the other and so designed that when said device is moved to its topmost position it covers the lettering and indicates that the particular procedure has been performed on the patient whose file is involved.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated;

FIGURE 1 is a top view of the file chart clip of the present invention attached to the cover of a patients file;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged top view of the chart clip illustrating indicative markings in the various rectangular depressed slots and with the slider elements positioned below the markings as they would be prior to performance of the particular procedure referred to;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view upon line 3-3 on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 on FIGURE 2 and showing a prefer-red wedge-shaped embodiment of two slider elements;

FIGURE 5 is a top view on a smaller scale than FIGURE 2 and showing all slider elements in their upper positions indicating that all procedures called for have been performed;

FIGURE 6 is a partial top view on the scale of FIG- URE 2 illustrating a second preferred embodiment of the slider elements in which each incorporates a spring detent adapted to seat in a groove extending across the bottom of a slot;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary cross-section on an enlarged scale taken along line 7-7 on FIGURE 6, and illustrates the two detents and two spaced grooves in the slot which seat the detent carried by the slide element to hold the element in the upper and lower positions in the slot; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 8-8 of FIGURE 6.

Refer-ring particularly to FIGURES 1 to 5 there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention clip designated generally 10 and exemplified by a preformed or molded flexible body 11 formed in its front face with a plurality of parallel rectangular slots 12 the bottom faces which carry identifying markings 13 comprising words or abbreviations printed or otherwise positioned. In each slot is an insert or slider 14 adapted to slide back and forth. The inserts 14 are provided with two small seats 15 eachadapted to accept the'end of a ball point pen or pencil, or other objects to facilitate movement. Clip is an elongated closed U in the sense that the ends of the U come together and resiliently oppose separation. The top edge 16 of the clip touches its slightly protruding bottom edge 17. A patients hospital file 18 includes a rigid top cover 19 pivoted to the back 9 by a hinge 20, the lower edge 21 of the cover being adapted to be inserted between and clamped by the edges 16 and 17 of the clip.

Each slidable insert 14 is imprinted on its top surface with a marking and these markings together spell out FOR SURGERY, as shown in FIGURE 2. The inserts, as shown in FIGURE 4, are truncated wedges in transversesection, their widths at their inner faces being greater than at the outer face. Similarly the side walls of each slot slope inwardly. As a result the inserts or sliders are locked against outward displacement. Where the clip '10 is of a malleable material the inserts 14 may be pressed forcibly into position in the slots 12.

The transverse sectional shape of the clip body 11, as shown in FIGURE 3, is designed to enable it to accept readily the file top cover 19, either alone or with underlying papers, or with underlying papers and the bottom 9. Because of the resilient nature of the clip it is easily positioned and easily removed. When so positioned the clip acts as a safeguard against accidental opening of the file and loss of papers contained therein as might easily happen when the file ishung by a hook with its open end downward. When so positioned on the file 18 the clip 10 becomes a part of the file and serves as an immediate and uncomplicated guide in determining whether a particular procedure has been performed.

In FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 a second preferred embodiment is illustrated wherein each slidable insert 14 carries a detent spring 22 on its underside proximate the bottom surface of its slot 12. The spring 22 possesses a detent ridge adapted to seat selectively in two spaced grooves 23 which extend transversely across the bottom surface of slot 12 as shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8. The provision of spring detent 22 insures that each slider will remain where placed and will not move accidentally.

The clip body 11 is made with a section 24 as shown inFIGURE 7, which closes the lower ends of the slots .12 and being suitably retained, as by permanent adhesive, after the sliders have been inserted. The wedge-shaped inserts 14 fit snugly into the slots 12 the fit being sufficiently snug as to prevent accidental movement of the inserts within the slots, and to prevent their outward displacement.

The clip of the invention is designed to be used in conjunction with the performance of presurgical procedures upon a patient. Upon the patients entering the hospital for surgery a file is prepared by hospital personnel for use in recording various date relating to the particular patient. A chart clip 10 is attached to the bottom of cover 18 of the file. The file contains various sized papers which concern procedures to be performed. When a particular presurgical procedure is completed the information is noted on thes appropriate paper in the file and at that time the chart clip slider 14 is moved upwardly in the slot containing markings designating that particular procedure. For example, in FIGURE 2 of the drawings, if the identification bracelet has been placed on the patients wrist the slider 14 is displaced upwardly from its position in FIGURE 2 to its upper position shown in FIGURE 5. The abbreviation Identi meaning identification is then covered and the lower letter C" in the slot is for the first time made evident.

As the various presurgical procedures are performed, data is noted in successive papers in the file and the sliders are manually moved within the corresponding slots until eventually all the sliders have been moved, and all the procedural references covered as shown in FIGURE 5. This indicates that all the necessary procedures have been performed and that the patient is now ready for surgery.

As the various slots 'at their lower ends carry single letters which have been uncovered by the displacement of the sliders these letters all are now visible and spell out CHART READY. The sliders carry the letters spelling out FOR-SURGERY. Accordingly with the sliders in their upper position the chart clip reads FOR SURGERY-CHART READY.

While the particular chart clips herein shown and disclosed in detail are fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that they are merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A chart clip for checking and recording completion of procedures comprising a flexible U sectioned body attachable to a chart file by sliding its open side over the file cover, said clip body being formed with a plurality of slots, the upper portion of the base of each slot containing markings designating particular procedures necessary to be performed in presurgical hospital preparation with which the papers in the file are concerned, and a plurality of movable sliders slidable back and forth within said slots, characterized in that said sliders are of truncated wedge shape in section and in that said slot is similarly sectioned and provides rectangular openings in the top surface of said clip body, said sliders being adapted to be moved from an initial position to a second position covering the marking in the slot to indicate the accomplishment of the procedure indicated by the markungs.

2. A clip as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said movable inserts are permanently locked in their individual slots and are provided with recesses to accept pointed implements to facilitate their movement.

3. A clip for use on the cover of a hospital patients chart file to perform the function of providing a check upon the performance of certain presurgical procedures on the patient and to which papers within the file relate, said clip including a body having rectangular depressions in its upper face each depression being provided on its bottom surface with a marking corresponding to a procedure to be performed in preparing the patient for surgery, and a slider movable in said depression between covering and displaced positions with respect to said marking.

4. A clip as defined in claim 3 characterized in that each slider is provided with a spring detent and the bottom face of each slot is provided with special seats each adapted to receive said detent to hold s'aid slider in place.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 646,914 4/1900 Peek 116-135 1,235,737 8/1917 Sullivan 40-62 2,731,941 1/1956 Anderson 116-135 3,292,284 12/1966 Manzo 4062 FOREIGN PATENTS 257,529 9/ 1926 Great Britain.

113,936 5/1926 Switzerland DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

